Tuesday, 1 December 2015

Winter Essentials.. Blogmas Day One!

Hi guys!

As we’re entering into the colder time of the year I finally feel like it’s winter, it’s time to say goodbye to autumn (and I’ve the christmas feelin’).. With it only to get colder soon. So, here’s a little peek into my winter needs including everything from shoes, clothes, accessories, beauty items and even a few lifestyle needs for this chilly season!

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I’m hugely into dark reds, purple and camel this year. I’ve also been into my usual winter staples like dark denim and monochrome being a huge presence. (Usually an all year round thing though, can’t shake that black from my wardrobe!)

I’ll start firstly with my outfit (clothing) staples for this time of year..

I’m a huge black boot advocate, it sounds extreme but it’s true, the majority of my shoe collection is different types of black boots and I’m not complaining they’re all amazing. I can’t resist a pair when I see them. Especially for this time of year I love a good knee high or over the knee pair of boots. I have mine in black (duh!) but they are amazing in a variety of colours from red, camel, grey, brown and khaki green! They are extremely versatile and I can wear them with a number of outfits. I’ve rocked them on nights out with a nice above the knee dress, which is my favourite way to wear them as mine have a substantial heel. They can be worn with an oversized jumper for a day look and look amazing paired with a dress during the day and tights if you’re feeling like covering up a little more. They also look great with a jean or legging and an oversized jumper for a great effortlessly dressed well look. (These are my favourite kind, if I can put in as little effort as possible but still look like I tried to look good is perfect for me!)

Here is a photo of mine as I’ll be uploading an ootd very soon including these beauties ♡

I got mine from public desire and I’ll link them here (they also do student discount as many other sites mentioned do), but these boots are now scattered around a lot of online stores such as la moda, boohoo, missguided, new look (who do a wide fit version!) and more.

My next winter staple is something people have been rocking for some time but only recently have I purchased my own after lusting after them online. It’s a fur gillet! I know these aren’t the hardest item to wear but it took me a long time to find a decent one within my budget (many decent ones I seen were nearer the £100 mark!!!) that didn’t add on too much to myself and was flattering to wear. What surprised me was that I found this in Primark! I got this cream/beige fur gillet for £18 and it was an absolute steal. The flatness of the fur suits my shape well and as I am quite tall (around 5’9) this length was perfect! They were also instore in brown but it didn’t suit me as much. I’ve an ootd with this item included which I will post very soon for you guys so keep your eyes posted so you can see how lovely this looks on! As Primark haven’t got a website I’ve looked up similar plus sized gillets available online for you here – New Look Inspire Faux Fur Gilet (In black and stone/cream), ASOS CURVE Longline Faux Fur Gilet in Natural, ASOS CURVE Faux Fur Gilet (black).

A great winter coat is always a necessity. I seen a great camel coat from Warehouse last year, lusted over it and never bought it then regretted it. Luckily for me it reappeared for the summer sale and I bagged it there and then to keep for winter. I stored it away and it’s finally time for me to bring it out of storage. This coat is the perfect shape for me as I love a swing coat! The colour is so gorgeous and the fabric. Paired with my scarf and a basic outfit this coat is amazing and I can’t praise it enough! I also like to change my coats very often so I have a part of my wardrobe dedicated to coats and jackets as I really just have way too many. Definitely more than any girls needs but I’m not complaining. Coats are my thing. And shoes.. And make up.. I tend to wear a jacket I got during the summer from Topshop a lot also and a coat that was a steal from Primark. (again!) I have many others that I’m sure you’ll see cropping up in ootd’s very soon! I have been really enjoying some of the coats ASOS also has to offer recently as they look amazing! This New Look Inspire Tailored Coat is pretty similar to my Warehouse jacket. ThisTopshop Longline Slouchy Coat is a coat version of my jacket and would also look really cool paired with a fur collar!

Onto my winter accessories..

I’m a big fan of a scarf during winter especially with these colder times approaching. My go to is ALWAYS a tartan scarf and has been for a few years. I generally go for a red based tartan but I also love a green/blue tartan. My scarf of choice is a H! By Henry Holland scarf I picked up about 2 years ago in Debenhams! It’s a great scarf and I continually reach for it with nearly every outfit I wear! Here is a tartan scarf by this brand available this year. I’m not as fond of it but I looked around and found a few similar scarves which I think are amazing. This Red Check Skinny Scarf from New Look is pretty similar to mine. There are an abundance of these kind of scarves online New Look have them in a variety of colours and Missguided. Another type to mention is fur collars or fur scarfs. There are amazing and can really change a coat to make it look completely different! Missguided have an amazing range of these here. Some of my favourites are the faux fur wrap in green, faux fur wrap in purple, faux fur wrap in black, faux fur stripe scarf and the faux fur patchwork scarf. These all look amazing and are great to wear with a basic outfit or with a plain coat to make it look more interesting and expensive! These are also great for revamping an old winter coat instead of being out of pocket for a new one. I’d definitely recommend!

As common as these may be tights are a BIG winter staple for me. I never feel as comfortable in jeans as I do in a comfy dress or skirt during the winter so my choice in tights is super important. I usually buy my tights from Primark and I go for the Super Cosy Tights to keep warm in the winter evenings. Now I understand tights can be a tricky thing whenever you’re plus size as you don’t want your legs to feel like they’re stuffed into your tights or have them constantly fall down with every step you take or move you make. (trying not to sing along..) I can highly recommend these ASOS CURVE 200 Denier Tights as they are comfy and cosy and come in 200 denier to keep you toasty! They also have tights from 15 denier up and funky designed tights for the more adventurous!

Onto the beauty products I always need this time of year..

As a usual trend for this time of year I like to change my lip and eye products. I tend to go for darker colours. I a big fan of a dark red lip or a blue-toned red lip for winter as it’s what suits me best. I love pairing this with a matte nude/brown eyeshadow, black cat eye, eyebrows (on fleek), and a nice warm contour & highlight! This is my usual everyday make up for this time of year. I’ll do a winter make up post soon and talk about all my favourite products, how I apply them and my final look! My favourite lip products for this are Topshop Lips in Beguiled (It’s a lot more red than swatched on the site) I’ve even finished this and repurchased it I love it so much, Bourjois Rouge Velvet Lipstick in Grand Cru and Mac Lipstick in Sin.

During the cold weather I tend to fall victim to sore and hacked lips. I love to wear matte lipsticks especially when wearing red to minimise it transferring all over my face! To keep my lips in good condition I use a lip balm through out the day when I’ve no lipstick on and before I start my make up and after I remove my make up! Before starting my make up I moisturise my face, letting that sink into my skin I start to prep my lips. My lip products I use to do this are Lush Lip Scrub in Mint Julips (Only flavour I like) and then an EOS Balm either in Sweet Mint or Vanilla Mint. I scrub my lips with the scrub to remove and dry skin and I then put on my eos balm to sink in. Once I’ve completed my full face of make up I do my lips last. They’re then prepared and ready for a matte lip product (or any) to be applied and my lips look full and moisturised all day! I promise this small step really makes the difference during this time.

Another cosy winter necessity is candles ♡♡♡..

I’m obsessed with candles. I love how a room/space can just become so cosy once you light a candle and the Yankee Candle scents are amazing. I love a sweet candle which I know isn’t to everyones taste but I thought I’d include some of my favourites in the master post because is it really winter and cosy times if I don’t?

I like to start burning festive candles around November/December. To stop myself from getting too festive too early this year I started to burn Candy Cane Lane at the start of November. It’s a sweet minty smell (just like a candy cane, duh) but it’s perfect for not getting too festive. During the festive period some of my favourites are Snowflake Cookie,Christmas Cookie, Fireside Treats ♡ and Home Sweet Home!

Christmas Eve and a well loved Candy Cane Lane.

I thought I’d also add some winter entertainment to my master post to help you get to know me better..

Festive films I’d definitely recommend are HOME ALONE (one of my fav movies ever!!) and Elf. Music wise, my ‘Winter Jam’ for years (like 5) has been My Boots – LIGHTS. She’s one of my fav artists and once I start to remotely feel wintery this song goes on repeat, and I love a good pair of boots. Perfect! (I just had to turn it on while finishing this post *dances while typing*)

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Hi. I'm maria and welcome to Plus A Little More. This blog is me posting about my interests, make up, plus size fashion and general fun things! If you want to be updated when I post follow me on Blog lovin'... Personal and PR emails: plusalittlemore@hotmail.com x